Czech PM criticizes climate change summit for putting rhetoric over actions

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has criticized the focus on words rather than actions at the United Nations Climate Action Summit at which he represented the Czech Republic.

Speaking to journalists the Czech prime minister said the Czech Republic would not get its voice heard at the conference despite the fact that it was adhering to the 2015 Paris Agreement targets. “There are many here who have failed in this respect, but are unveiling ambitious plans for the future,“ Mr. Babiš noted.

The Czech prime minister was not alone criticizing the hollow tone of the promises made. The BBC reported that China, India and Russia, were given the change to address the conference despite being the world’s biggest polluters.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, 16, made an emotional speech at the summit, slamming world leaders for their "business as usual" attitude and saying future generations would never forgive them if they failed to act.